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Goa Freaks: My Hippie Years in India
In this lively and unique document of 1970s-style hedonism, we follow the futher adventures of Cleo Odzer, whose first book Patpong Sisters was a best seller. Goa Freaks begins in the mid 1970s and tells of Cleo's love affair with Goa, a resort in India where the Freaks (hippies) of the world converge to partake in a heady bohemian lifestyle. To finance their astounding appetites for cocaine, heroin, and hashish, the Freaks spend each monsoon season acting as drug couriers, and soon cleo is running her own "scams" in Canada, Australis, and the United States. (She even gets her Aunt Sadie in on the action.) Wish her earnings she builds a veritable palace on the beach- the only Goa house with running water and a flushing toilet. Cleo becomes the hostess of Anjuna Beach, holding days-long poker games and movie nights and, as her money begins to run out, transforming the house into a for-profit drug den. Tracing Cleo's love affairs, her stint hiding out at the ashram of the infamous Bhagwan Rajneesh, and her sometimes-harrowing drug experiences, Goa Freaks: My Hippie Years in India is candid and compelling, bringin to life the spirit of a now-lost era.
335 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 20, 2017
Addled American Airhead's Adventures at Anjuna
The thing is that Cleo Odzer finally did get off drugs, do a Ph.D and write a book on Thai prostitutes. (But the word is she died of AIDS in Goa in 2001. She was fifty years old.) Reading this book though, it seems a miracle that she a) survived that long and b) kicked the habit because she was a serious druggie. If you are interested in the biography of a woman perpetually in search of instant gratification, who lived a totally selfish, self-centered life with others of that ilk, who sank into utter degradation and crime to satisfy her habit, you've definitely come to the right place. She served time in American and Indian jails, but got off lightly compared to what could have happened. No doubt there is certain fascination in GOA FREAKS and a certain feeling of "Thank God it wasn't my kid." This is a person who lived in India for nearly five years and didn't learn more than one or two words of Hindi or any other Indian language and used those few incorrectly. If you think you might learn something about Goa here, like, totally forget it ! A lot of the comments are typical of an inane Valley Girl, though she was actually from a rich New York family. Most of the book is all about how she managed to score her next hit, how she smuggled drugs across the world, how people ripped her off, how she ran a drug den on Anjuna Beach in Goa, had huge parties, had sex with a lot of guys, and how she owed everyone money in the end. Did she ever repay anyone? We don't find out. Her writing style holds you as it is direct but is marked by a lot of amateurish stylistic features, nicknames, and capital letters. The age of Freaks has long passed in Goa, now it's waves of Russians, Israelis, and European package tourists. The beaches are polluted and overcrowded. Odzer lived in the last days when travel across the world was still easy, Customs not too strict, and terrorism hadn't become the stimulus for tight controls. This is an inside picture of those days at a then-beautiful place---Goa---but many people would say that smack, coke, hash, and acid, not to mention morphine, opium, and assorted pharmaceuticals did not create a very beautiful world. On the contrary.
The thing is that Cleo Odzer finally did get off drugs, do a Ph.D and write a book on Thai prostitutes. (But the word is she died of AIDS in Goa in 2001. She was fifty years old.) Reading this book though, it seems a miracle that she a) survived that long and b) kicked the habit because she was a serious druggie. If you are interested in the biography of a woman perpetually in search of instant gratification, who lived a totally selfish, self-centered life with others of that ilk, who sank into utter degradation and crime to satisfy her habit, you've definitely come to the right place. She served time in American and Indian jails, but got off lightly compared to what could have happened. No doubt there is certain fascination in GOA FREAKS and a certain feeling of "Thank God it wasn't my kid." This is a person who lived in India for nearly five years and didn't learn more than one or two words of Hindi or any other Indian language and used those few incorrectly. If you think you might learn something about Goa here, like, totally forget it ! A lot of the comments are typical of an inane Valley Girl, though she was actually from a rich New York family. Most of the book is all about how she managed to score her next hit, how she smuggled drugs across the world, how people ripped her off, how she ran a drug den on Anjuna Beach in Goa, had huge parties, had sex with a lot of guys, and how she owed everyone money in the end. Did she ever repay anyone? We don't find out. Her writing style holds you as it is direct but is marked by a lot of amateurish stylistic features, nicknames, and capital letters. The age of Freaks has long passed in Goa, now it's waves of Russians, Israelis, and European package tourists. The beaches are polluted and overcrowded. Odzer lived in the last days when travel across the world was still easy, Customs not too strict, and terrorism hadn't become the stimulus for tight controls. This is an inside picture of those days at a then-beautiful place---Goa---but many people would say that smack, coke, hash, and acid, not to mention morphine, opium, and assorted pharmaceuticals did not create a very beautiful world. On the contrary.
May 10, 2018
This gave me a much craved insight into the hippie life, in one of the hippie-meccas, during the peak hippie years of the place.
Turns out, being a hippie is not all peace and love all the time. There's a fair bit of stress, insecurity and the typical junkie dreads that vex the junkies who aren't in exotic places like Goa.
Although, being an Indian, I couldn't help but think that these people were a group of young people who didn't have a solid family life and in order to create one the were able to found a third-world country which they could exploit with their resources.
In all honesty, my particular fascination with the hippie scene is due to somewhat similar reasons. That being said, the way things progressed towards the end, made the paradise feel more like a nightmare. But bear in mind, this is one woman's account of the events. If you go to Anjuna beach now, you'll still find old European couples and people who cherish their memories of the place.
I was honestly surprised that Cleo got her life together. Although, the end she had was very sad. The ending was sad. Not because something came to an end and the people who lived through it got a better and secure life. It was sad because of my FOMO.
That being said, it still feels like the accepting community of hippies and free-lifers wasn't as free of headaches and stress as one would think. They still had the relationship aches, the typical junkie problems and what not. They messed up their life pretty good, and plenty of them died. Yet, the way the author describes the entire ordeal, the feeling of community comprised of like-minded, hedonistic, non-judgemental people is something that I think everyone, who's in a somewhat dysfunctional relationship with their peers or are in general out of sync with the society, craves.
I feel like the introduction of smack and globalization was the death-blow to this paradise. Although. there's still a party-scene in Goa. It's commercialized. No more full-moon parties. I'm saddened by the deaths, the addictions and the loss of paradise.
This book is gonna stay with me and I'll update this review in the future.
Turns out, being a hippie is not all peace and love all the time. There's a fair bit of stress, insecurity and the typical junkie dreads that vex the junkies who aren't in exotic places like Goa.
Although, being an Indian, I couldn't help but think that these people were a group of young people who didn't have a solid family life and in order to create one the were able to found a third-world country which they could exploit with their resources.
In all honesty, my particular fascination with the hippie scene is due to somewhat similar reasons. That being said, the way things progressed towards the end, made the paradise feel more like a nightmare. But bear in mind, this is one woman's account of the events. If you go to Anjuna beach now, you'll still find old European couples and people who cherish their memories of the place.
I was honestly surprised that Cleo got her life together. Although, the end she had was very sad. The ending was sad. Not because something came to an end and the people who lived through it got a better and secure life. It was sad because of my FOMO.
That being said, it still feels like the accepting community of hippies and free-lifers wasn't as free of headaches and stress as one would think. They still had the relationship aches, the typical junkie problems and what not. They messed up their life pretty good, and plenty of them died. Yet, the way the author describes the entire ordeal, the feeling of community comprised of like-minded, hedonistic, non-judgemental people is something that I think everyone, who's in a somewhat dysfunctional relationship with their peers or are in general out of sync with the society, craves.
I feel like the introduction of smack and globalization was the death-blow to this paradise. Although. there's still a party-scene in Goa. It's commercialized. No more full-moon parties. I'm saddened by the deaths, the addictions and the loss of paradise.
This book is gonna stay with me and I'll update this review in the future.
September 2, 2013
A great story, well told, of a time and place in the not-so-distant past. The author writes well and her story flows nicely. For anyone interested in the international backpacking experience done on a shoestring budget, this is a must-read.
March 26, 2018
After eighteen months of living and traveling abroad, I tend to gravitate towards stories of other travelers, especially in places I've yet to visit. So a hippie ("freak") beach town in India? Sign me up! Plus, as someone who has experienced the ins and out and upside downs of the modern traveler culture, what it was like on the original backpacker trail in the 60s, 70s, 80s, is something I find endlessly fascinating.
Well, Odzer's stories about her years in Goa were definitely interesting, but also a bit terrifying. One of the greatest things about backpacking is getting to know people from all over the world, including the country through which you are traveling, but it seems like the people that were a part of this community did not have any appreciation for the culture they were surrounded by. As Odzer started her stories, I recognized a lot of my experiences about forming a community, but as she progressed into the world of excessive drug use and drug smuggling the stories left less familiar. The group she surrounded herself and wrote about had no respect for the Indian culture and the people into whose lives they were inserting themselves. They selfishly took over a beautiful place because they felt the need to party and consume excessive amounts of drugs.
Once I was able to separate what I had hoped to get from the stories versus what was delivered, I did still find Odzer's life compelling: I still wanted to know how the Goa seasons ended. I would've loved to have a bit more detail about leaving India and recovering from her drug use, but that isn't really shared.
Odzer's story is just another book I'll be checking off the list of stories I will throw myself in to in order to discover what life might've been like on that 1970 backpacker trail. Is there a traveler who could keep themselves separated from the freaks, but still embrace that hippie lifestyle while learning and embracing the cultures of all the new people they were meeting?
Well, Odzer's stories about her years in Goa were definitely interesting, but also a bit terrifying. One of the greatest things about backpacking is getting to know people from all over the world, including the country through which you are traveling, but it seems like the people that were a part of this community did not have any appreciation for the culture they were surrounded by. As Odzer started her stories, I recognized a lot of my experiences about forming a community, but as she progressed into the world of excessive drug use and drug smuggling the stories left less familiar. The group she surrounded herself and wrote about had no respect for the Indian culture and the people into whose lives they were inserting themselves. They selfishly took over a beautiful place because they felt the need to party and consume excessive amounts of drugs.
Once I was able to separate what I had hoped to get from the stories versus what was delivered, I did still find Odzer's life compelling: I still wanted to know how the Goa seasons ended. I would've loved to have a bit more detail about leaving India and recovering from her drug use, but that isn't really shared.
Odzer's story is just another book I'll be checking off the list of stories I will throw myself in to in order to discover what life might've been like on that 1970 backpacker trail. Is there a traveler who could keep themselves separated from the freaks, but still embrace that hippie lifestyle while learning and embracing the cultures of all the new people they were meeting?
March 1, 2020
I’ve read this book several times and I highly recommend it. It’s well-written, compelling, informative, fascinating, hilarious, and terrifying, and rereading it is always as great as the first time through.
A huge surprise was an encounter with someone featured in another of my favorite books: Serpentine, by Thomas Thompson.
A huge surprise was an encounter with someone featured in another of my favorite books: Serpentine, by Thomas Thompson.
June 23, 2008
No literary triumph, but the hippie lifestyle Cleo documents is totally fascinating!
February 17, 2009
Вот смотрю на неё уже который день, а скачать нигде не могу (((
July 17, 2016
Interesting story on drug addiction and drug smuggling in 70's (or maybe it was the 60's) Written by a reformed drug addict who is now a drug counselor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2025
I live 800km from Goa and have been there once a year, this book made me want to visit Goa more especially during the hippie era (70's)
I came to know about this book from my love for trance music thank you goa gill (rip)
I came to know about this book from my love for trance music thank you goa gill (rip)
July 19, 2020
The definitive guide to read about the origins of the Goa Psychedelic and Hippie scene..
March 16, 2020
Having lived in Goa my whole life, I knew I had to read this book. It gives you a very bare and ugly insight into the lives of the Goa freaks. Cleo did not romanticize the Goa life, and was very open about her problems. I removed a star because upon searching the book on Facebook, some people mentioned in the book claimed she fabricated their lives to make them look bad. She did ruin the reputation of a few by naming them in her book, and a lot of people were upset with her. But this book is a very rare account of Goa's hippie era so it does remain valuable to our history.
July 26, 2009
I was born a year too late. I never got to be a hippie. Nevertheless (or, perhaps, as a result of this) I've always glamorized the hippie world.
Goa, India was, for Cleo Odzer, hippie paradise. Odzer first came to live in Goa in 1979. Her early days in Goa were days of parties on the beach and fun with her hippie friends. As the years passed, however, Goa became more and more a world of sickness and drug addiction and death.
Goa, India was, for Cleo Odzer, hippie paradise. Odzer first came to live in Goa in 1979. Her early days in Goa were days of parties on the beach and fun with her hippie friends. As the years passed, however, Goa became more and more a world of sickness and drug addiction and death.
August 27, 2016
I read this a few years ago, so I don't remember all the details but I know I loved it. I've been to Goa and spent some time in the midst of what the author writes about so I could relate only too well. She's got quite a few pictures of the people she writes about sprinkled into the book, I am very curious to know if she had to get permission from them to do that? (Writing a memoir myself, so process of this craft is most intriguing)
October 14, 2008
This one I stole/borrowed nver to return from my brother, sorry Scott. It was a very drug addled story. The girl lived a crazy life for sure...in India. The book only spans 3 or 4 years at most. She travels all over India, buys, sells...and survives it all...although many of her friends don't... and she is a rehab counselor now? woa.
January 21, 2011
I also read this book by the author of Patpong Sisters. Cleo Odzer has lived an interesting life and I enjoyed her tales of life in India, moving around and the lifestyle. Not one I could relate to, but certainly an interesting tale.
January 30, 2008
Tales of morally ambiguos debauchery.
I enjoyed living vicariously by reading this book of fearless hippie adventurer. There were some really disturbing elements in the book.
I enjoyed living vicariously by reading this book of fearless hippie adventurer. There were some really disturbing elements in the book.
January 30, 2022
Educational
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews